A no-deal Brexit could slam the brakes on the UK’s economic growth, wiping out Chancellor Philip Hammond’s hopes of boosting public spending, a think tank has said. If the UK fails to reach a withdrawal deal with the EU and moves on to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules next March, GDP growth can be expected to slow sharply from 1.4% this year to 0.3% in both 2019 and 2020, said the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr).
European Union (EU) Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Wednesday Wednesday said Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro has become “a matter for the international justice system” and needs to “be brought before the courts.”
Brexit brings a chance to strengthen ties between Argentina and the Falkland Islands, the country's foreign minister Jorge Faurie said in London. Faurie met with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and the pair discussed increasing trade and travel links between the Falkland Islands and South America.
A no-deal Brexit may be the “most likely outcome” of the UK’s negotiations with the EU, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has told MSPs. The First Minister said that while the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc are 95% agreed, there remains an “impasse” over the issue of the Irish border.
Gibraltar will step up its contingency planning as from January 1, 2019, if there is no certainty of a Withdrawal Agreement and implementation period by that date, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told an influential House of Lords select committee. Addressing the EU Select Committee, he also signaled his hope that Gibraltar, the UK and Spain could salvage elements of the Gibraltar negotiations even in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit between the UK and the EU.
The European Commission has told Italy to revise its budget, an unprecedented move with regard to an EU member state. EC is worried about the impact of higher spending on already high levels of debt in Italy, the Euro zone's third-biggest economy.
Irish President Michael D Higgins has said he shares the concerns of the country’s premier Leo Varadkar that there is a risk of a return to violence if a hard border is imposed post-Brexit. Mr Higgins said: “I do share the Taoiseach’s concern.”
Britain will pay the price of a no-deal Brexit because complicated new border controls may not be ready in time, a UK government watchdog has warned. Thousands of UK exporters did not have enough time to prepare for new border rules, the National Audit Office said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is prepared to explore every possible option to break the deadlock in Brexit talks. She told MPs 95% of the terms of exit were agreed but the Irish border was still a considerable sticking point.
An extended Brexit transition period is not an alternative to the EU’s backstop proposal, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has warned. The Taoiseach said he is open to the idea of an extension but it fails to resolve the border issue.